LA RIOJA ALTA SA Rioja Gran Reserva '890' - Rioja Alta 2010 Bottle (los)

Description

IN BRIEF
La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 is a quintessential, classically styled Rioja showing layered complexity and poised maturity. Clear garnet with a tawny rim, it offers black cherry, Morello plum and dried violet, unfolding cedar, cigar box and well aged leather with orange rind, cinnamon and refined tobacco. Medium plus with a satiny, layered texture, bright persistent acidity and impeccably integrated tannins, the palate moves from dark fruit to savoury leather, olive tapenade and soy like umami, underpinned by a cool mineral seam and saline thread that lengthen the finish. Meticulous élevage yields remarkable balance and long ageing potential. Drink 2026 to 2045. Critics: James Suckling 99; Wine Advocate 97; Wine Enthusiast 97; Vinous 96; Decanter 95.

ABOUT THIS WINE
La Rioja Alta S.A. Rioja Gran Reserva 890 is a quintessential expression of classical Rioja winemaking, offering layered complexity, elegant restraint and a superbly measured sense of maturity. The colour is a clear garnet with a bright tawny rim that signals development while retaining a lively core. The nose is richly woven: initial notes of black cherry and Morello plum are joined by dried violet and pot pourri, then unfurl into cedar chest, cigar box and well aged leather. With aeration orange rind, cinnamon and a refined tobacco leaf perfume emerge, while earthy hints of forest floor, mushroom and a gentle balsamic lift add savoury depth.

On the palate the wine is medium plus in weight with a satiny, layered texture and impeccably integrated tannins that provide backbone without harshness. Bright persistent acidity threads the core, giving energy and keeping the profile vibrant as the flavours evolve. Primary fruit of black cherry and plum yields to a broad savoury spectrum: cedar and clove from prolonged American oak ageing, an olive tapenade suggestion, soy like savouriness and a discreet tarry impression that deepens with time. A cool mineral seam and a saline thread underpin the finish, bringing length and precision and leaving lingering echoes of dried fruit, tobacco and sweet spice.

The 2014 vintage in Rioja was marked by a warm growing season with episodic cool spells that helped preserve acidity and aromatic definition. Yields were moderate and phenolic ripeness was achieved without excessive alcohol, producing wines that combine ripe fruit intensity with classical balance. In the context of La Rioja Alta’s long élevage this vintage has translated into Reserva and Gran Reserva bottlings that show both early harmony and obvious capacity for long term development.

The 890 selection represents the estate’s finest parcels and a stringent blending selection, followed by extended barrel ageing that builds tertiary complexity while preserving balance. It is approachable now after careful decanting yet will continue to reward patient cellaring for decades. Drink 2026 to 2045 for optimum development. Serve with roast leg of lamb, beef Wellington, slow braised ox cheek, truffle and mushroom ragout, aged Manchego or jamon Iberico to match the wine’s savoury depth and refined structure.

JAMES SUCKLING 99 points
This is really refined and complex, with dark mineral, savory berries, mussels, walnuts, sweet spices, truffles, dried oranges, forest floor and cocoa powder. Beautiful acidity with vertical and velvety tannins. Tense, dimensional and very long. Drink or keep holding.
Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor

THE WINE ADVOCATE 97 points
Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez
Drink Date: 2022 - 2040
They were eager to show me their 2010 Gran Reserva 890, their flagship wine from one of the most heralded vintages of recent times, the next vintage of this wine since 2005. It's 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo that fermented destemmed and crushed with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel vats for 18 days, the Tempranillo and Mazuelo together and the Graciano separately. After letting the wine settle for the winter, they selected the lots that would age for six years in used American oak barrels with 10 manual rackings. The wine epitomizes the classical style of Rioja Alta with long aging in barrel, developed and tertiary wines with a silky palate and a complex and decadent nose of forest floor, truffles, cigar ash and cedar wood. They need a very special selection of vineyards at higher altitude that take longer to ripen, and they don't do it fully every year. If they don't, the grapes go to Ardanza, but in 2010, the days were warm and the nights very cold and the grapes ripened thoroughly and could stand the long time in barrel without being oaky. They have stopped the last rackings to keep a little more freshness, and the wine feels phenomenal. This has to be one of the finest vintages for this wine. It's drinkable now but should also age for a very long time; it's intense, complex and elegant. A selection of 236 barrels were blended and bottled unfiltered in March 2017 into 61,643 bottles, 4,189 magnums and some larger formats. There will be a 2011 of this wine and then 2015 and possibly 2016 (but no 2012, 2013 or 2014). This is a very intense 890. Classicism in a bottle.

WINE ENTHUSIAST 97 points
Beautiful, refined, finessed and filled with complexity, this is an example of wine worth waiting for. Flavors of tobacco, licorice, mixed fruits and an aromatic, floral lift. Ample while melting tannins pleasantly coat the mouth then carry into a long, stimulating finish. Impressive. — Elaine Chukan Brown

VINOUS 96 points
Drinking window: 2024 - 2040
The 2010 Gran Reserva 890 is a blend of 95% Tempranillo, 3% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo from Rioja Alta. Aged for six years in American oak, this light garnet wine with a brick sheen unfolds a bouquet of leather and cigar box, along with caramel, licorice, dried fruits and a faint balsamic note. On the palate, it is dry and silky, with a nimble and juicy flow that soars with a light, flavorful, nervously lasting note. A classically styled Rioja in the midst of its evolution, its intricate bouquet offers a glimpse into its promising future over the next decade.
Joaquín Hidalgo. Tasting date: December 2023

DECANTER 95 points
Tasted by: Simon Field MW (at Six icons of Rioja tasting, 13 Apr 2024)
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2050
Medium garnet, deeper at the core. Classic nose of tobacco leaf, mocha, wild strawberry and soft spice, all richly evocative. Hints of iodine, hearthside and balsam betray the lengthy elevage, but the acidity is pure, without the slightest hint of volatility. Dried fruit on the palate, with bitter chocolate and crushed plum and an impressive energy, far too refined to be described as ‘raw’ but not lacking for the tension of a very fine wine finally emerging from a highly decorated adolescence.

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ABOUT LA RIOJA ALTA SA
La Rioja Alta S.A. is one of Rioja’s most venerable and respected producers, founded in 1890 and renowned for its classically styled, age worthy red wines that combine elegance with measured oak ageing. The bodega has long embodied the traditional Rioja model of careful barrel ageing and precise blending, producing wines that develop nuance and complexity over decades while retaining a clear sense of regional character.

The company is structured as a cooperative style public limited company with a stable ownership and governance model that has emphasised continuity and long term thinking. Management is professional and led by an executive team that works closely with a technical direction group responsible for viticulture and winemaking. La Rioja Alta maintains strong ties with a network of long term grower partners across Rioja Alta and other qualifying sub regions, securing old vine fruit and site diversity that underpin its benchmark bottlings.

Vineyards supplying the bodega include estate parcels and contracted grower vineyards on varied soils of clay, limestone and gravel, and plantings are dominated by Tempranillo with supporting Garnacha, Graciano and Mazuelo for structure and aromatic lift. Vine age varies, with older vineyards contributing concentration and depth. Viticultural practice focuses on balanced yields, canopy management and selective harvesting to ensure physiological ripeness and varietal clarity suited to the house ageing regime.

Winemaking combines traditional craftsmanship with rigorous modern quality control. Grapes are vinified parcel by parcel, with careful sorting, controlled fermentations and a focus on extracting fine tannin and aromatic purity. The technical team oversees lengthy barrel ageing in American and French oak followed by extended bottle ageing before release, a regimen that is central to the house style and to the wines ability to evolve slowly and gracefully. Senior technical directors and cellar masters have historically shaped the style through disciplined elevage and blending decisions.

Signature labels such as Gran Reserva 890 and Gran Reserva 904 exemplify the house emphasis on structure, polished tannin and tertiary complexity, showing dried fruit, tobacco leaf, cedar and savoury spice over a mineral thread. La Rioja Alta S.A. remains a benchmark for traditional Rioja quality, prized by collectors for its consistency, longevity and capacity to convey the subtleties of vintage and site.